Prompt: What aspects of Luke’s Gospel (in terms of general themes and/or particular narratives) might have appealed especially to Gentiles (i.e., to non-Jews) and to those on the margins of mainstream society (e.g., outcasts, sinners, women, the poor)?
The statue of Jesus with his arms outspread in the middle of the University of Notre Dame campus is the perfect depiction of Luke’s Jesus. The statue contains the inscription “Venite Ad Me Omnes,” a Latin phrase meaning “Come to Me All.” In the Gospel of Luke Jesus has come to proclaim the Kingdom of God to all – especially Gentiles, outcasts, sinners, women, and the poor. The following are six examples from Luke in which Jesus demonstrates the universality of God’s love and compassion.
Gentiles – The Parable of the Good Samaritan (10:29-37): In Jesus’ time, Jewish people saw Samaritans as unholy and unclean. However, in this parable, while a priest and Levite ignore a man in great need, the Samaritan shows mercy, compassion, and love. Jesus leads a Jewish lawyer to admit that the Samaritan, a Gentile, is his neighbor. Luke demonstrates that Gentiles share a part in the Kingdom.
The Poor and Outcast – The Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus (16:19-31): In this parable a rich man ignores a suffering man on his doorstep. While Lazarus, the outcast, is raised to heaven upon death, the rich man faces eternal torment in the netherworld. It is too late for the rich man to atone for his ignorance; Luke urges even the well off to care for those who are pushed to the margins of society.
Sinners – The Parable of the Lost Coin and Zacchaeus the Tax Collector (14:8-10, 19:1-10): In the parable of the lost coin Jesus teaches, “…there will be rejoicing among the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” Luke later emphasizes Jesus’ point from in a story about Zacchaeus the Tax Collector. Zaccheus is a sinful man who stole from others for his own enrichment, but Jesus chooses to stay in his home, forgiving the repentant Zaccheus of his sins and labeling him as a descendant of Abraham. God is a forgiving, compassionate God for all who are repentant, exemplified by Jesus’ ministry.
Women – The Pardon of the Sinful Woman (7:36-50) In Luke, Jesus frequently includes women, who were often pushed to the outskirts of cultural events, in his ministry. The sinful woman in Luke 7 demonstrates hospitality and love more effectively than the Pharisee Jesus is dining with, and thus her sins are forgiven. God’s love has a direct impact on women through Jesus in Luke’s Gospel.
The Poor – Sermon on the Plain (6:20-26) In his Sermon on the Plain, Jesus praises the poor who are humble and able to appreciate the values of God’s kingdom, while threatening the rich who are blinded by their earthly possessions. The poor will receive their reward in heaven.
Jesus’ last statement in the story of Zaccheus sums up Luke’s portrayal of Christ:
“For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save what was lost” (19:10).
Veinte Ad Me Omnes.
Picture from graceandmiracles.blogspot.com
Patient Trust 
I really love your connection to the statue of Jesus on our campus. That is so perfect! It completely embodies what Jesus stands for, and this is exactly how He is portrayed in Luke’s Gospel–He is seen with his open and welcoming arms.
You are completely right by characterizing Jesus in Luke’s gospel. Jesus truly open to anyone and everyone, as the statue of Jesus on God Quad! “Come to me all” really characterizes Jesus’ openness to people.
This is really good and I like the connection that you made to the Jesus statue. I’m curious to see how the Jewish followers of Jesus reacted the moment that they heard these parables. I’m sure the respect given to unappreciated groups was not easily taken.
As we’ll see in a few weeks when we talk about the infancy narratives, part of Luke’s challenge in writing his Gospel to a primarily Gentile audience is to show how the Messiah sent by the Jewish God to the Jewish people is really a savior for ALL people, not just the Jews. Luke typically presents the Gospel message being offered first to the Jewish people (who largely reject it) and then radiating outward to the ends of the earth. Jesus in Luke is like a rejected prophet whose message does find a hearing nonetheless, especially among those whom proper Jewish society wouldn’t have considered worthy of receiving it. Echoing the comments above, connecting ideas from Luke to the statue on God Quad was a nice touch!
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